The draft directive on working hours is no longer on the agenda of the Council of Employment and Social Affairs. The Austrian Presidency took it off recently. Besides the opt-out issue, a new dispute has come up on the following question: Do the directive’s provisions protect each worker, or do they apply only to each contract of employment?
Since the failure of the British Presidency on the issue, Austria has launched a marathon of bilateral meetings, to try to break the deadlock in...